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English Social Conversation @East and West Learning Connections 2023

 *We are constantly recruiting native English-speaking facilitator volunteers for the English Social Conversation program! Please see the invitation message at the end of this announcement.

 Have you ever wondered what to talk about in a social conversation? Or, as an immigrant, do you sometimes feel it is difficult to join your local co-workers’ conversation because you don’t know the people or things they are talking about, or you have some everyday questions that you would like to know how local people would think or deal with? Or do you just want to find a safe, relaxing and friendly environment to talk to some native English speakers, and enjoy a pleasant conversation?

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EAWLC Frank’s Dialogue with Berlin Fang: Effective Learning in the Age of Surplus/Frank对话方柏林:过剩时代的有效学习

This dialogue will be conducted in Mandarin.  For English introduction please jump to next heading in English.

Frank对话方柏林:过剩时代的有效学习

不用提社交媒体和电子游戏的干扰,单单是丰富的学习资源,各种纷纷涌现的机会,已经让这个年代的人应接不暇,于是我们把这个时代称为过剩时代。如何有效地学习是当下困扰人们的重要问题之一。在美国大学担任教育设计专家的方柏林博士,也是《过剩时代的学习》和《知识不是力量》等专著的作者。机械工程学博士Frank Wang 倡导终身学习,业余时间从事教育专栏写作,对新时代的学习方法和专注力培养等问题非常关注。二位嘉宾将作客东西联学社,就“过剩时代的学习”以及学者专家们倡导的一些新学习方式展开对话与讨论。

欢迎朋友们前来听讲、参与讨论,也欢迎提前将感兴趣的问题发给我们。

Continue reading “EAWLC Frank’s Dialogue with Berlin Fang: Effective Learning in the Age of Surplus/Frank对话方柏林:过剩时代的有效学习”

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EAWLC Zoom Learning for Curious People: The Fitness Remedy

Shaoxuan Zhou (Joe), a professional architect and urban designer, came to our club in July of this year, giving a wonderful lecture on the appreciation of architectural designs.  Other than an architect, ‘Coach Joe’ is also a known nickname among his friends: they often go to Joe for fitness advice, some finding it life-changing.  It all started from a casual enrollment in a community gym in Beijing in 2005.  At the time Joe had been bothered by stomach ulcer and insomnia for years.  He even stopped his indie architecture design practice, spending most of the time on all kinds of sports in a hope to get his health back on the track, but had progressed very little.  To his great surprise, Joe saw remarkable improvement in all of his symptoms within one month after he started the workout, and felt like overhauled after three months.  Ever since then, Joe’s  fascination with fitness training has driven him to educate himself on kinesiology, and become an personal trainer for himself, families and friends, in addition to a happy, healthy and successful architect again.  Exercises, if done in a right way, is bound to bring life-changing benefits to your health, according to Joe, as he has witnessed himself!

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EAWLC Foodies Group: Tasting Cultures in Cuisines

If you know a good restaurant from your culture, or any restaurant you really like, in Toronto or near vicinities, please kindly share with us!

East and West Learning Connections initiated the Foodies Group in 2024 for its registered members, volunteers, and guest speakers. Group members, coming from different cultural backgrounds, are encouraged to take turns to lead an outing to a restaurant of their choice, and if possible, to think of ways to enhance the experience for the group culturally.  For example, they may share knowledge or stories related to the food/culture, or try to arrange for a cooking demo, etc.

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EAWLC Social Reading Club/读点东西俱乐部: Read Together, Chapter by Chapter

This online club meets ALMOST every week to read books together, chapter by chapter.  Club members, who come from diverse backgrounds and live in different countries, take turns to present the chapter(s) they volunteer to lead the reading, and facilitate the breakout room discussion that follows.  We welcome you to join us, and bring your unique life experience and perspective to the discussion!

Sessions will take place on Saturdays except for holiday breaks or otherwise notified.

Time: Saturdays from February 1, 2025, 7:30 -9 P.M. (Eastern Time).

Registration link for the latest book: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/bSMehcjHTWy_yBsTLUk2Ww#/registration 

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EAWLC Member Salon Minutes

At East and West Learning Connections, we have been holding an online salon for registered members once a month since July 2022. Members and their families are welcome to take the opportunity to meet each other on Zoom, share recent experience, encounters, thoughts, and hear a guest speaker’s stories. Continue reading “EAWLC Member Salon Minutes”

EAWLC Tour of Toronto Zoo Guided by Dr. Andrew Lentini

Flying Mallard Duck

Join us in this fascinating tour of Toronto Zoo guided by a prominent scientist who has devoted to animal study and wild life protection for decades! Moreover, the Zoo has kindly offered a complimentary animal encounter for us. We may also meet with the Zoo’s CEO.

Time: Sunday December 1, 2024 at 10 a.m. to noon (Eastern Time)

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EAWLC Entrepreneur Mentoring Program with Martin Copeland


Want to become an Entrepreneur? Already an Entrepreneur and have questions?

The East and West Learning Connections proudly kicks off a quarterly entrepreneur mentoring program hosted by Dr. Frank Wang, inviting business mentor Martin Copeland to sit in, and answer audience’s questions on everything about entrepreneurship. A successful business owner with over 40 ears’ experience in practice in both Canada and the U.S., and a business mentor since retirement, Martin would be happy to share practical advice as well as cultural context, and mindset insight of the business world to help guide early stage entrepreneurs.

You can bookmark this playlist for all videos of Martin’s lectures and Q&As at East and West Learning Connections’ YouTube Channel.

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Notes for the 2024 Lunch Coaching Hour on Business Communication

Click to learn more and register this free coaching series and view coach Ric’s profile.

How to be an Effective Communicator for Presentations

October 24, 2024

There is an old saying in Chinese, “To stand like you are a pine tree (Zhan Ru Song),” symbolizing steadiness. Today, Coach Ric introduced us to a new tree to mimic during presentations: the palm tree. It represents both steadiness and natural flexibility. The session was packed with theoretical and practical advice, including RSVP (Rhythm, Speed, Volume, Pace) for voice and PPP (Pleasure/Pain Principle). My personal favourite, though, is his honesty about how he, a native speaker and communication coach, still practices his speeches and looks for improvement constantly. Check out this month’s material here.

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East & West Dialogue – How We Got Here: Two Writers in Conversation

October 27, 2024 @ 7:00 pm 8:30 pm

This month, we are very much delighted to welcome two renowned Canadian poets and writers, Alice Major and DC Reid, who both have broad interest in literature, science, and social issues. They’ll talk about how they came to make their living as writers, and share how their interest in science informs their work. They’ll also talk about having some of their poetry translated into Chinese, and together with their translator, Mississauga’s first poet laureate Anna Yin, read a little of their work.

Click here to register .

Click here to learn more about the event and the two guest speakers.

East & West Dialogue – How We Got Here: Two Writers in Conversation

At our monthly East & West Dialogue, guest speakers from different cultural backgrounds volunteer their time and expertise to share life experiences, thoughts, concerns, , and have a dialogue with our audience.

This month, we are very much delighted to welcome two renowned Canadian poets and writers, Alice Major and DC Reid, who both have broad interest in literature, science, and social issues. They’ll talk about how they came to make their living as writers, and share how their interest in science informs their work. They’ll also talk about having some of their poetry translated into Chinese, and together with their translator, Mississauga’s first poet laureate Anna Yin, read a little of their work.

Click here to register .

Time: Sunday October 27, 2024 at 7-8:30 P.M. (Eastern Time; starts at 5 P.M. Mountain Time, and 4 P.M. Pacific Time)

Continue reading “East & West Dialogue – How We Got Here: Two Writers in Conversation”